The Time We Loved Each Other

The day stood still like everything I know about life is becoming obsolete, she stood re-arranging her saree and trying not to sense the people staring at her, her heart was pounding and she still held a rose and looked straight at me.

I love you Veer!

Will you marry me?

Right after this few lines, my vision got blurry and I sense a strange burning sensation.

You can’t sleep all weekend, stubbing the cigarette on lap,

I woke up with sudden pain, and whacked a pillow on his face,

Why the hell did you do that? With an irritation on my face.

Varun my flatmate sitting wearing short pants and smoking as he is the king of the weekend.

He smoked the next puff on my face, with an agitation I pushed him off the bed,

He kicked and went to the washroom,

Get up we are going to see a movie,

A low voice from the other room and water-dropping sound,

I am not going anywhere I responded.

Varun sounding aggressive it's Saturday you have to come?

I can’t, I have arrangements today,

Bullshit grunted Varun!

I took the pillow above my head and buried my head.

I love you Veer!

But I can’t stand here more let’s elope,

Are you sure, but why elope?

Why can’t we settle this with your family, I think you have forgotten what agony we have been all these years I can’t believe this- I suppose you are the one who insisted for eloping in the first place.

All my family is searching for me and getting a disagreement from you,

What is wrong Veer? Traffic noise in the background and her eyes still looked pretty and her makeup is getting ruined,

I can’t Archana! I can’t, I need to figure some other way for getting this done, see I love you more than anything else.

A thunderous hit and it felt cold as if something huge hit me right on my nose.

Before falling on the ground, I saw a bearded guy holding Archana's hand taking her away.

I can’t faintly see but she was looking back at me and kept calling my name.

One more hit this time it was painful,

Will you wake up!

It was Varun again.

The sun was hot and we together standing in front of a ticket queue in a mall,

A shady mall I can call it,

Varun kept staring at a girl, the girl gave her a cold shoulder.

Sometimes I felt bad about myself, why do I even go out with him.

He had a roving eye and he could not let go any good looking girl. A girl once slapped him so hard that he actually did a somersault.

I came to Bangalore with a hope of becoming a Bit professional and serve my family in Banaras but in return, I am no more than a corporate product, my father is a marriage adviser in Banaras and my mother is a Hindi teacher they both reared in order for me to become a police inspector.

But I had no courage to clear the test and failed miserably, they even bribed the academy but my scores were so worse that I had no chance not even to become a clerk. I had to get out, the air in Banaras was polluted, it's polluted with a people's convoluted idea of job, they exactly know when and how to bring a topic with each other’s kids make others feel highly impotent that there is nothing but a degenerative one. I opt out and came here running with my bags full of hopes of achieving the corporate ladder. It turned out, I kept running to and fro, sometimes from dreams and family.

Varun was the only guy who looked at me with a complete absence of judgment, he spoke to me in a sense that I had no burden in becoming something in front of him, we just bumped into each other, and he is my flat partner. It just happened, I think he is the only guy who I know who speaks of hope,

Archana, I could never have thought of anything until I saw her taking a coffee, it was the end of my common sense losing my body, her hair looked as perfect as a banana and her eyes seemed like a crystal moon, I broke my mug while pouring a coffee as my constantly gazing at her.

She was taking coffee, and pressed the casino button on the coffee machine – while removed the mug, I was still staring at her. She gave a smile which I didn’t understand a smile of how pervert I am or she really liked me. I had no clue, her cubicle was next to the entrance. I kept looking at and when I was passing by the door, after a day I realized I hope, I was not making this whole act of perversion.

I tilted my head and smiled at myself which I don’t do, but this was something special which I felt.

It was Monday morning, due to heavy downpour I was late and in the attempt of reaching office on time I came 1 hour early. In the entrance I saw a guy speaking to her, she was looking straight at him and the guy drove away. Which is a sense made me feel unimportant and thousands of questions ran past my mind.

She gave me the same smile and entered the premises. I didn’t have the courage either to ask who was that guy- it would really foolish to take the step as there was no communication whatsoever.

Each day after constantly staring at her and she got so bugged off by this pervasive behavior she reported to the Human resource while writing the email she even left bad and realized how it would affect my career in the company but at the same time she wanted the roving eye to stop, the ugly dragon eye checking her out from toe to head. She started wearing salwar kameez just so nothing more is visible than the neckline and her footwear were even covered.

The H.R gave him a return warning for Sexual harassment but it was kept confidential and both been called to the HR and she spoke her heart out and even made an attempt to slap him, but somehow she kept her cool.

Veer was not ashamed but surprised- the only difference, It was not made public so he could work without any comments from another female colleague.

He wore black sunglasses at work so his eyes were not visible which created a funny situation at work and Archana also felt humiliated as she knew he was still looking at her discreetly. Her rage was so furious and after work she came right in front of him and removed his sunglasses. She saw a patch on his left eye which on the contrary diffused her anger and something simple as kind words nearly came to her vocabulary although she spoke to him in a civil manner it was just natural.

"How did you get this?"

He responded almost as fast as possible taking a step back-checking other people around whether others are listening or eavesdropping.

"Two guys met me after work and they hit me right left and center," he responded with slight helplessness,

"Those guys even told me not to tell you."

"Who, what?"

Archana being completely unaware of the situation.

"I am sorry --- that was my boyfriend. I might have told him a hundred times not to take any action, I will take care of this, but somehow he still came.I am sorry ----- See this was your fault," Archana taking a step back.

She never wanted violence - somewhere she deeply felt guilty as he only looked at her and she also had ash under his name. As being a grown-up girl she believed this could have been dealt with her and only her

"How dare you hit him," Archana to Neal.

"He being bratty how dare he, I will hit him again, Neal said with absolute confidence.

"I will not talk to you again," Archana looked straight at him.

"What the hell! how can you be against me now. I did which I was supposed to. I love you I will do anything in order to protect you. Now we are fighting, you should be proud."

Please go away, she left and boarded the bus.

Neal stood there confused and in a state of rage.

Next day at work, she wanted to save face although the guilt is not getting over and she expressly wanted to apologize to him.

She went to his cubicle and came to know that he was not in the office. After she enquired, Veer had left the office one day before. Yesterday was his last day, Archana in guilt kept feeling bad about all this happening.

Veer was disappointed and while smoking weed he thought that he will find a solution for unemployment.

He kept looking at the Tv and couldn’t really know what he was watching.

He heard the doorbell.

I am coming, as he stood up all the chips on his thighs sprinkled like a bunch of birds decided to fly at one direction.

He saw Archana, wearing a big bindi and with a cream color salwar-kameez. For a moment he got the same pervert thoughts.

I am sorry, Veer, I felt really strange after you left, I felt it happened all because of me,

Veer lets her come in like a complete gentleman while she entered he checked her ass.

It’s all cool Archana. I deserved it, so let it go.

I am sorry I still find you attractive and I can’t help it.

Well, at least I got this off my chest, she said feeling at ease and adjusted her hair.

Veer smiled and looked around.

"I felt better as you came all way to tell me this, this means a world to me" – Veer said being naive about it.

She stood and took her bag to leave, it felt to her something she dropped from her and now she is ready to run again.

"Please stay and have a coffee," Veer insisted.

"I can’t Veer, I am sorry."

Veer without being pushy agreed as he did not want another trouble. She might file a case this time rape, who knows?

It went very curious about her, and every other thought was only for her.

Her smile spreads like a butterfly across her face,

The way she moves as nimble as a feather.

It was evident that he was falling for her and wanted more of her each time.

He texted her, and she replied don’t you dare!

And then he stopped.

Weeks passed.

"Hey Psycho"

Veer dropped down from his bed at night seeing her message.

Within a 1 sec, he responded-

"Hey yourself," I couldn’t believe you messaged.

"Yes, I did, any problem," Archana responded arrogantly.

"No, never," he hesitated so much that the phone fell off.

"I wanted to ask you why you kept staring at me? What is that you saw in me?"

"I saw in you everything, that everything that exists," I can’t believe I cannot see you anymore.

"That’s not entirely true," she texted somewhere being a bit shy.

They met the following day.

The day seemed excited, it was sunny- the birds kept looking at them,

She wore a pink top and white trousers, her lip gloss was not shiny but it seemed alright.

Her eyes were shining and Veer looked perfectly normal,

While she was about to sit Veer pulled the chair,

They giggled and she hit him with a pair of forks lying on the table,

I want you to know how much I adore you.

"It’s very difficult to stay away from you and each moment is an eternity for me Archana, But there this question which is loitering around my mind and I need to get this out of my system."

They held hands and walked on the beach and when the sun was about to set, Veer held her close, closer than she could feel his breath and held her tighter and she felt safe.

Her eyes were closed and flickering but it stopped as he kissed her gently and it lasted for 1 minute. The time she closed her eyes it was over somehow her heart and body wanted more, she pushed him, a gentle push- and ran towards the upcoming waves and chanted his name so everyone could hear however nobody was there, except the sea, the trees, and birds.

As she began to touch the water, Veer splashed more water on her, got away giving a quirky smile

The evening was just right before it could turn into anything before it could into a nightmare, or it could turn into horror.

While riding back she draped a dupatta to cover face as it was a long ride back home, and being a pillion she held him close.

Archana's mother look agitated and slight pissed at her. As she was fetching water, "Who is that guy you keep talking to?"

"That’s Veer Ma," she replied slightly irate and drank the water half and walked away.

Her mom’s voice she could still hear on the hall, "I want to meet that guy."

After listening to this Archana was awestruck and threw the magazine on the sofa and ran across the kitchen without noticing the cat on the way.

While Veer was looking outside the window, he received a call from Archana that her mother wanted to meet. He wiped his face with a tissue and as he was completely unaware of how to behave in front of marriage meeting or approval meeting. One of his friends suggested he should wear a blazer like we dress up in a business meeting so he did exactly that,

He purchased the blazer which looked like Elvis blazer from the '60s.

Unlike his friend suggested he looked dapper and wanted to impress her mother. The attire he never shared with Archana and therefore she never had any clue what he is up to.

It was a Sunday morning 10 O' clock.He combed his hair and polished his shoes as neatly as he could see his face on it.

Archana peeped outside the window and she saw a guy wearing a blue blazer, a dark blue blazer with grey trousers and hairs combed as neat as it should be. She immediately burst into laughter.

As she opened the door, her mother thought somebody from Eureka has come to repair the a/c, but Archana gave her a disappointed nod that he is the one.

"Ooo I am sorry my child," I am Archana's mother and god you dressed like a salesman, she gave a smirk and broke into a real laugh and told him to sit on the couch,

Veer looked nervous more than anyone he wanted to smoke that's what he had always been doing wanting to smoke after an exhausting process.

"Hi aunty, my name is Veer Pratap Singh."

"Yes Beta I know, she gave me him a reassuring smile."

Archana why don't you bring tea for us, as she moved to the kitchen

I will be very blunt to you,

She directed her words as it’s the final say

Veer took a deep gulp of the water and looked at her carefully.

I have reared my daughter without a father he passed away when she was very small, I made sure she never felt like to have a male figure in her life and most of her life decisions have been made by me, in fact, I never stopped her keeping relationships hence just to tell you I see her smiling whenever we talk about you.

Veer slipped the chips on the floor and gave her a weird smile.

She loves you more than her ex-boyfriend.

This mere statement made him uncomfortable and for a moment he stopped munching.

Clearing his throat, "I will take care of her aunty."

Archana and her mom were listening and he just stopped talking that was all he rehearsed all night.

Archana came with a tea and Veer was looking at the paintings behind her mom.

After the meeting outside Archana’s house

She looked agitated, and Veer, on the other hand, was relaxed smoking taking a deep inhalation,

And Archana was waiting for her mother to respond.

Beta, when your father once fought with cops and the fault was mine I felt he is the one, and in fact, the fault was mine. I was drunk and we were driving rashly. The cops took us aside and that time we were just friends.

That was the day he spoke the maximum and saved me not because it was a heroic act or something which proved he was brave but he wanted to make me feel safe and secured.

Your guy speaks less but he can save you too, it's not you need someone to save you. It’s just he will ensure his presence becomes prominent in your life.

Archana did not understand what she really meant but she was ready for the union or tying the knot.